A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell is the latest entry into the growing category of picture books in which what happens to the book is part of the story (This book just ate my dog! comes to mind). What happens in A Perfectly Messed-Up Story is that a guy named "little Louie" is "skipping merrily along" in a sunny landscape, beginning to tell his story, when he suddenly encounters a blob of jelly. Louie is horrified that someone would eat a sandwich while reading his book. And then things s get worse.

There is peanut butter plopping onto the page, followed by fingerprints, and orange juice, and then ... deliberate disrespect ... coloring. Louie throws a tantrum because, after all, "books are important". He makes an attempt to withdraw himself from the story altogether. But in the end, he realizes that, well, the book has actually turned out fine.

The illustrations in A Perfectly Messed-Up Story feature a big-eyed character that looks like the little monsters in McDonnell's The Monsters' Monster. He has a toddler-like appearance, even wearing a one-piece romper. His posture and exaggerated facial expressions clearly indicate his displeasure when things go wrong. But the real beauty of the illustrations is the way McDonnell makes it look like there is actually a blob of jelly stuck the page. The various things that defile the book stand out clearly from the rather muted backgrounds, with strong visual cues for young readers about exactly what is going on.

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story is a fun book for preschoolers, though the one-joke storyline may not hold the attention of older kids. There's a subtle lesson about learning to roll with the punches, but the action in the book is so contrary to expectations that kids will be laughing too hard to realize that they have absorbed any message. Recommended for younger readers, and for fans of McDonnell's distinct illustration style. A Perfectly Messed-Up Story would make a fun group read-aloud for library or preschool, too.

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers (@LBKids) Publication Date: October 7, 2014Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher, received for consideration for the Cybils awards.

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter over the past couple of weeks @JensBookPage. (I was on vacation last week and did not post). Topics this week include book awards, book lists, diversity, gender, the Cybils Awards, growing bookworms, book-related events, literacy programs, national poetry month, Pi Day, play, reading, publishing, and schools.

Naked! by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi is, as you might expect, a celebration of the joys (for preschoolers, anyway) of running around naked. A little boy escapes his weary mother after his bath and runs joyfully all around the house. He enjoys being naked so much that he imagines going to school or the playground naked. He eventually adds a cape to his (lack of) ensemble, and this seems for a time to be the perfect compromise. However, by bedtime, the cold drives him into giving some clothing a try (though the cape stays on, too). And warm and cozy, he falls asleep, slung over mom's shoulder.

[Parenting note: this mom deserved what she got. What was she thinking, letting her kid eat three large chocolate chip cookies between bath time and bedtime? Of course he was running around the house like a crazy person.]

Seriously, though, Naked! simply radiates joie de vivre. Black's minimal text perfectly channels the stream of consciousness thought process of a three year old. Like this:

"Running around naked!

Sliding down the stairs naked!

Eating a cookie totally and completely naked!"

Like the boy, the text bounces around all over the place, with the words "sliding down the stairs" shown stair-stepping down the page, and the words "totally and completely" shown on separate lines and angled in alternating directions.

Ohi's digitally created illustrations match the the tone of the book perfectly. The boy is shown cartoon-like, with a huge grin and a yarn-like mop of hair. She does a fine job of making it clear that the boy is naked, while using positioning and props to avoid revealing anything that would get the censors into a snit. The funniest page, I think, is when he does "the Hokey Pokey naked", as shown from above (spinning mop of hair with hands or feet sticking out).

Naked! is book that will delight preschoolers of a certain age, while evoking knowing smiles from experienced parents. There's no special message or story, just a refreshingly straightforward, infectious celebration of being oneself. A must-purchase for libraries serving preschool populations.

Today, I will be sending out a new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. I usually send the newsletter out every two weeks, but this time it's been three weeks, because I have been on vacation.

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have six children's book reviews (picture book through young adult), one installment of my new #KidLitFaves series, and two posts with literacy and reading links that I shared on Twitter recently. I also have a review a of book for parents by Nancy Newman on Raising Passionate Readers.

Reading Update: In the last three weeks I completed three middle grade, three young adult, and three adult titles. Very balanced reading indeed! I read/listened to:

Jennifer L. Holm: The Fourteenth Goldfish. Random House Books for Young Readers. Middle Grade Fiction. Completed March 11, 2015, library download. I always enjoy Jenni Holm's books, and this was no exception.

Roald Dahl:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Puffin Books. Middle Grade Fiction. Completed March 23, 2015, on Kindle. A re-read of one of my childhood favorites, which I hadn't read in decades. Also perfect for vacation.

Laura Lippman:Hush Hush: A Tess Monaghan Novel. William Morrow. Adult Mystery. Completed March 13, 2015, on MP3. Nice to see Tess Monaghan back at work, now mother to a three-year-old daughter.

D. E. Stevenson:The Four Graces. Sourcebooks. Adult Fiction. Completed March 15, 2015, on Kindle. This was my first time reading this Stevenson title, which I did not find to be her best work. Ah well.

Our vacation was to Disney World, and my daughter spent considerable time prior to the trip, at her own initiative, catching up on Disney-themed books. Once we were there, I can't say we had as much time to read with her as I might have liked, but of course real life experiences are important, too. Her favorite book these days is Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile. She was also quite thrilled when we went through today's many packages to find new Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy paperbacks waiting.

What are you and your family reading these days? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms.

For some reason, I thought that The Shadow Cabinet was the conclusion to Maureen Johnson's Shade of London series. Just so you know, it's not. Which is great in that there will be at least one more book in this intriguing, atmospheric series. There will be spoilers in this review for books 1 and 2. If you haven't read them, I'll just tell you that they are ghost stories with some historical references set in modern-day London, and featuring a teenage girl from Louisiana who becomes involves with an unusual investigative squad. They are both fun, suspenseful, and in parts, seriously creepy.

Apart from a brief flashback scene, The Shadow Cabinet begins immediately following the events of Book 2, The Madness Underneath. Rory and the rest of the squad are searching for the ghost of Stephen, who died from injuries sustained rescuing Rory from a crazy woman named Jane. A fellow student of Rory's, Charlotte, is still missing, presumably in Jane's company. Rory is in hiding, guilty about and grieving for Stephen, but determined to help make things better. Adventures, with mortals and ghosts, follow.

A new character is introduced in The Shadow Cabinet, a geeky girl named Freddie who loves to do research, and a past character, Rory's ex-boyfriend Jerome, makes a reappearance. The world building that Johnson demonstrates re: Rory's ghost-filled London is quite strong. The supernatural aspects are conveyed in almost a matter-of-fact way, such that one might almost believe that The Shades of London are real. But my favorite aspect of this series remains Rory's voice. She can be humorous, like this:

"England is strange in many ways, and one of those ways is that they leave things like Stonehenge sitting at the side of the road. I think I expected something more like Disneyland, with all kinds of buildings nearby, and maybe a waterslide called Druid Dunk! or something. Maybe I thought it would be larger, or behind a wall. No. It was just there, in the field." (Page 193)

But also raw and honest, like this:

"W wave hit me--an agony so profound it was exquisite. It stopped my heart and took my air and made the floor feel like it was falling away. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Feelings denied. I had to be fine for him, and therefore I would be fine. This was an order." (Page 55)

Even the various little chatty bits in which Rory tells quirky stories about her Louisiana hometown didn't bother me, despite interrupting the flow of the plot a bit, because I just like hearing her talk. I listened to Book 2, actually, which helped me in "hearing" Book 3 in my head.

I hesitate to say more, because you should go into this without too much knowledge about the plot. I'll just say that fans of the series will definitely not want to miss The Shadow Cabinet. Though larger plot (and relationship) questions are left for the next book, enough things are resolved in this book to satisfy readers. But oh, how I am curious about what will happen next! Recommended for anyone who enjoys ghost stories, particularly if they like them with just a splash of humor. But read Books 1 and 2 first.

Kevan Atteberry's Bunnies!!! is an exuberant title that would make a fun read aloud for toddlers and early preschoolers. A not-very-threatening-looking purple monster is walking through the woods, saying hello to anything he encounters, animate or not, when he runs across a group of four colorful bunnies. His enthusiastic cry of "Bunnies!!!" shocks the little rabbits, and causes them to run away. The monster is sad and confused. The same scenario repeats, leaving the monster even sadder. But eventually, as even the youngest readers will expect, the bunnies come around, and a new friendship is made.

There's very little text in this book, nothing but the few words spoken by the monster. Mostly just "Hello" to various things and "Bunnies", spoken in various tones of excitement or sadness. The correct tone to use to read aloud is indicated by fonts as well as the posture of the monster. The repetition in the book will be reassuring for the youngest listeners, and will have them shouting "BUNNIES!!!" in no time.

A purple butterfly also accompanies the monster on his journey, a subtle cue to readers that the monster is probably kind-hearted (in case the fact that he walks around saying hello to rocks and slugs wasn't clue enough). The bunnies are not as cute and fuzzy as those in Big Mean Mike, but they still have a certain colorful charm.

The predictable conclusion will also make young readers feel safe when reading Bunnies!!!, despite the presence of a monster. This would make a fun gift to add to your child's Easter basket, or to at least bring home from the library. Recommended for the youngest of listeners, with possibilities as an early reader for older kids, too.

Here Comes the Easter Cat, by Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda, is about a cat who is jealous of the Easter Bunny, and decides to become the Easter Cat. Well, at least until he learns that the Easter Bunny has too much work to do to leave any time for naps.

Here Comes the Easter Cat has a unique storytelling style, one that I think would actually make it also work as an early reader. The cat never speaks. The cat uses signs, pictures, and actions to communicate with the narrator. The narrator both interprets and responds to the cat. Like this:

"What's wrong, Cat?You look grumpy.

(picture of Cat, arms folded, face scowling)

(picture of Cat holding up a sign with a sketch of the Easter Bunny)

The Easter Bunny?What about him?

This by-play between narrator and Cat offers lovely opportunities for reading the book with a small child. ("What do you think the cat is saying here, Bobby?", and so on.) And the pictures offer plenty of visual cues for the slightly older child who is attempting to read the book alone.

Cat is a fun character, unrepentantly sly (wanting to use a motorcycle so he can beat the Easter Bunny, for example), but also child-like (disappointed at the notion that the Easter Bunny doesn't necessarily wear special clothing). Rueda's ink and colored pencil illustrations perfectly convey Cat's changing moods and "Aha!" moments. He is quite hard to resist.

Here Comes the Easter Cat is a longer picture book, but the minimal text on each page spread makes it a quick and unintimidating read. There is also plenty of white space (including a couple of entire pages, where the narrator is waiting for Cat). There's a fun twist at the end that hints at the sequel (Here Comes Santa Cat was released in October).

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this week include book lists, the Cybils awards, diversity, gender, growing bookworms, Pi Day, Terry Pratchett, libraries, schools, reading, reviewing, and publishing.

Who Wants a Hug? by Jeff Mack is a new picture book about a lovable bear and a not-so-lovable skunk. On our first read, I found it cute, but my four-year-old loved it. She had a big smile on her face throughout, and declared it a new favorite. Personally, I found that I appreciated it more on subsequent reads. Bear and Skunk grew on me.

Everyone likes Bear, who walks around the forest with a big smile on his face, offering the other animals hugs. No one likes Skunk, who goes around offering free slugs and has a negative attitude. When Bear offers Skunk a hug, Skunk refuses, because "nobody hugs a skunk?" Bear is undaunted, and just says: "I'll save you one for later." Skunk decides to get even with Bear for being so happy, and tries several times, to no avail, to bomb Bear with something stinky (e.g. a rotten fish). Bear keeps offering those hugs, though. Eventually, though, the tables as turned, as Skunk learns that he likes hugs, and Bear learns that giving hugs to someone really, really stinky isn't so desirable.

You can see why it's preschooler-friendly. Bad guy Skunk tries to perform rotten tricks, like tricking Bear into sitting on a balloon full of stink. Nice guy Bear escapes unharmed, and continues to be a nice guy throughout. There are pranks, bad smells, and hugs - all things you might find in the average classroom.

I liked the fact that Who Wants a Hug? is not a rhyming book, but has lots of dialog to offer scope for expressive reading aloud. Like this:

"One smack with this big stinky fish... and Bear will be as huggable as a thousand-year-old rotten mackerel.""

There are also some subtleties to Mack's illustrations. Skunk is small and peevish-faced, and wears a black top-hat with a purple band. He snickers "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" then he's about to spring a trap. He brings to mind, ever-so-slightly, the rabbit in Frosty the Snowman. Bad smells are shown with a green fog. Bear is fuzzy and round and looks just like a teddy bear. He is mostly happy, except when tired out from too much hugging or cringing when he is hit with Skunk's smell. The illustrations are in general bright and entertaining, perfect for the preschool set.

Who Wants a Hug? is an entertaining book that will make preschoolers chortle. I think it would make a fun library or classroom read. Recommended.

As I travel about the kidlitosphere, encountering reviews by other bloggers (people I trust, and generally have been following for some time), I take note of those reviews in which it is clear that the reviewer really, really likes the book. I share links to those reviews on Twitter (with hashtag #KidLitFaves) and Facebook and round them up here. Hopefully over time this will become a useful resource. I welcome your feedback!

"this book is a perfect introduction to panels in graphic novels, but an experienced reader will also laugh out loud at some of the fun scenes. Bow-Wow's Nightmare Neighbors did a great job of surprising and delighting me. We enjoyed every moment with this book. "

"On the surface, this may look like a straightforward biography of the inventor of earmuffs, but Meghan McCarthy takes this book to the next level, investigating why Greenwood is credit with the invention and explaining how easy it is for facts to be lost or misinterpreted in history."

"Seaver the Weaver is an inspired and unconventional story of an unusual orb spider who weaves beautiful, original, and highly effective webs... From the dedication to the last sentence, the whole experience of reading this book feels wholly and perfectly complete."

Middle Grade:

I am eagerly awaiting the new Penderwicks books by Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring. Recently I was pleased to see positive reviews of this book by to of my go-to blogging friends, Melissa Fox from Book Nut and Tasha Saecker from Waking Brain Cells. Melissa said:

"It's a funny book -- the Penderwicks are witty and wonderful -- but it's also one that tugged at my heartstrings and made me cry in the end. It's honest, and simple, and absolutely wonderful."

"Birdsall’s writing pays homage to so many great writers, feeling both modern and vintage at the same time. Her writing is funny, wry and immensely comfortable. It’s a joyous mix of stories, chaos and noise. It is the pleasure of old friends and new adventures that you get to share. "

"Anyone teaching a unit on animals will want to have a copy of this book on the shelf for project ideas. Librarians will want to have it as a go-to resource for information on animals and career options for those interested in animals, as well."

"Give this to any introverted child who loves quiet places, or to a kid who appreciates being part of nature and making beautiful things! Or give it to a kid who doesn't yet know that these things might be just what he or she needs...."

"And the question on hundreds of young fans minds, fans who waited anxiously (and less than patiently, not gonna lie) the two and a half years for the perfected second book - the question is, "Is SHADOW SCALE worth the wait?"

UNEQUIVOCALLY, YES."

Karen Yingling from Ms. Yingling Readsisn't much of a personal fan of bleak books. However, she's also a librarian who understands that girls go through a particular developmental phase in which they want to read depressing titles. Hence she was "SO pleased" to find Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry, about the recovery of an abused teen, "pitch perfect" for her middle school audience.

Closing Thoughts:

Personally, I am dying to read the new Penderwicks book. I also, from seeing it somewhere, had Murder is Bad Manners already on my wish list. Tanita also convinced me that I really should go back and read Seraphina (which I was able to pick up for $1.99 on Kindle).

Two other notes about these review excerpts:

If I have quoted from one of your reviews, and you prefer that I not do so in the future, just let me know. No worries.

The book covers that I have included beside each blurb include my personal Amazon affiliate ID. If you don't want your reviews to be included in future because of this, just let me know.

Big Game by Dan Smith is a novel based on the screenplay for a 2014 Finnish action-adventure movie. It has an action movie pace, a book that one rushes through to find out what will happen next. I couldn't put it down, and read it in about a day. The narrator is Oskari, a Finnish boy about to turn 13. Oskari is sent out alone into the wilderness near his home on an overnight hunt by his tribe, expected to come home with the head of an animal (the bigger the better). In the woods, Oskari encounters the U.S. President, whose plane has been shot down. Hunted themselves, Oskari and the President must fight for their lives.

Much as with an action movie, some suspension of belief is necessary when reading Big Game. I won't ruin your suspense by giving specific examples, but it is nevertheless a fun ride. Big Game is also a bit of an unlikely buddy story, with banter between the young boy and the self-proclaimed leader of the free world. Like this:

"Thanks, kid."

"Oskari."

"What?"

"My name is Oskari."

"Oh, right. Oskari. Well, you can call me William. Or Bill."

"Bill? Why not Alan?"

"I guess my mother preferred 'Bill'."

"Bill." I said the name again, testing the sound of it, but somehow it didn't feel right. "No. I'll call you President. It's more interesting." (Page 96, ARC)

There's inherent entertainment in the contrast between Oskari, raised to be a woodsman, though far from the best of his tribe, and the powerful world leader who is unaccustomed to physical deprivation. Oskari becomes downright arrogant about the fact that he's the one who knows what to do, not President.

Here's an example of Smith's narrative writing:

"A surge of panic welled up inside me and snapped me out of the trance. It was like being suddenly woken from a nightmare and I scrambled backward as fast as I could, breathless and desperate to get away. I pushed through the ferns until I was deep enough into the forest to risk getting to my feet, then I turned and ran for my life. My muscles were stiff from lying down for so long, but there was more than enough fear in me to get them moving." (Page 49)

Big Game is definitely 13-year-old boy friendly, though I think that anyone who likes fast-paced adventure or survival stories will like Big Game. Amazon lists Big Game as being for ages 10-14, but to me it has more of a young adult than middle grade vibe. Perhaps because the body count is fairly high, with no fantasy elements to soften the impact. Big Game is one that I'm putting on my relatively short "pass on to my husband" stack. It's a quick, suspenseful read that will leave readers breathless. The movie will be released later this year. Recommended!

Publisher: Chicken House (@Scholastic) Publication Date: February 24, 2015Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics this week include book lists, the Cybils awards, diversity, gender events, growing bookworms, schools, World Read Aloud Day, and libraries.

Backhoe Joe, written by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Craig Cameron, is about a boy named Nolan who finds a stray backhoe (whom he names Joe). The backhoe isn't quite house-trained, and has a lot of energy, so he proves to be a bit of a handful for Nolan. But when Nolan finds an idle construction site, and is able to set Joe to work, the situation improves. Right up until Joe's real owner turns up, anyway.

The premise of Backhoe Joe is pretty ridiculous, of course. But it's a fun riff on the fairly classic situation of finding and attempting to train a lost dog, set against the also classic theme of books about construction equipment. I can definitely imagine three and four year old boys asking for "that book about the pet backhoe" again.

Alexander's text is straightforward, without a lot of complex words to puzzle the preschool audience. Like this:

""Look what followed me home," Nolan said. "I'm going to keep him. He won't be a bother."

Joe buried his cone in the flower bed. Then he leaked all over the driveway."

"See?" Nolan said. "He likes it here." Mom and Dad weren't so sure.

"This backhoe isn't trained," Mom said.

"I'm on it," Nolan replied.

There's no rhyme or other wordplay to entice parents to want to re-read Backhoe Joe. However, Cameron's pencil, watercolor, and Photoshop illustrations make the wide-eyed, smiling Joe quite appealing. Nolan's dejection when he finds a flyer showing the lost backhoe, and Joe's distress, are universal.

See also the latest in James Horvath's series about construction worker dogs: Work, Dogs, Work!: A Highway Tail. In this installment, our hard-working (and sometimes silly) crew of canine construction workers is tasked with building a road. They also manage to create a bridge that bears a strong resemblance e to the Golden Gate Bridge, all in a single day. Pretty impressive, if you're into that sort of thing. See my review of the previous book in this series: Build, Dogs, Build!

I'll be trying both of these construction-themed books on my four-year-old daughter. But I suspect that they'll be a better fit for kids who would otherwise be found digging around in the dirt with toy backhoes and other trucks. Personally, I find the rhyming text in Work, Dogs, Work more appealing for reading aloud, though I do like Backhoe Joe's illustrations and original premise.

Nancy Newman is a long-time teacher as well as a mother to three sons. Her book, Raising Passionate Readers:5 Easy Steps to Success in School and Life is a practical handbook aimed squarely at parents on encouraging their children to love (and hence become good at) reading. Needless to say, this book was right up my alley. I found many passages that resonated with me. And despite already having plenty of motivation for and ideas about raising my daughter to love books, I found new ideas, too. I would recommend this book for any parent, whether a passionate fan of reading already or not.

The author has developed a simple five step approach, distilled from her years of professional and personal experience. For each step she offers motivation/context as well as concrete tips. Each chapter ends with a Review section broken out into bulleted Main Points as well as Actions. These sections feel a bit redundant on a straight read-through, but I think they will be very handy to refer back to.

Raising Passionate Readers is formatted for busy parents. There is plenty of white space, along with bullets, bolding, and italics to bring important text to the forefront. There are also call out quotes of key points. Most references to research are left for an extensive Notes section at the end of the book. Newman's tone is pragmatic without being preachy, and I think that the book will work for parents from a wide range of backgrounds.

The chapter that I personally got the most of, as the parent of a preschooler, was Step Two: Encourage Free Play and Fiercely Protect Free Time. While this concept might seem a bit peripheral to the goal of raising readers, Newman explains why free play and free time are essential to the cognitive development of children. She warns that free play is becoming extinct (something I do worry about), but she strongly urges parents to try to change this. She specifically tackles the challenge of nurturing playfulness in young children even though it can be disruptive (delays, mess, etc.). She argues that when a preschooler is running wild "her passion for learning overtakes all other thoughts and she's off and running", adding:

"This is an important dynamic to understand because your attitude about your child's playfulness, and the way you express your anger and frustration when she disrupts your hoe or schedule, will have a tremendous impact on her attitude towards learning. While you want to keep her safe and teach her how to follow rules and behave well, you also want to nurture her intellectual curiosity and enjoyment of learning."

She goes on to provide concrete examples for redirecting behavior without stomping down on intellectual curiosity. I found myself taking heed of Newman's guidance almost immediately. I flagged many other passages, too. While there are far too many to share here, here's one to give you more of an idea about the book:

(On nurturing new readers) "As often as you can, invite your child to "keep you company" by bringing her reading book to wherever you are in your house and reading to herself while you are doing your own quiet activity -- reading the newspaper, paying bills, using the computer, knitting, doing yoga, nursing her baby sister... This will make practicing a much less lonely, far more palatable experience for her." (Page 130)

The last sentence of the above passage gets, I think, to the heart of this book. Newman's goal is to help parents to make reading an enjoyable, positive experience. She believes, as I do, that if you do this, the rest will follow. This echoes the ideas of Jim Trelease in The Read-Aloud Handbook, of course. But Raising Passionate Readers is a much quicker read than The Read-Aloud Handbook, with less integrated research, and more of a focus on practical tips. I think that busy parents who are not immersed in literacy all day may find Raising Passionate Readers to be a bit more accessible than The Read Aloud Handbook.

Newman does not include recommended titles, as Trelease does, and Raising Passionate Readers might have benefitted from some direction for parents on helping their kids to find particular books. However, she does get into pros and cons of various electronic devices. She likens setting media consumption guidelines to setting dietary restrictions, and with a realistic acknowledgement that sometimes one splurges for special occasions.

Although there is no shortage of books aimed at encouraging parents to raise readers, I think that Nancy Newman's Raising Passionate Readers is a useful addition to the canon. Newman's genuine passion for and experience with her subject is conveyed in a practical, parent-friendly package. Recommended!

"World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words and creates a community of readers taking action to show the world that the right to literacy belongs to all people. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their futures: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their stories."

You might also remember that the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report found that "83% of kids ages 6 to 17 say they love(d) being read aloud to." See an updated press release from Scholastic for details.

Also today, I will be sending out a new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. I currently send the newsletter out every two weeks.

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have four book reviews (picture book through middle grade), two installments of my new #KidLitFaves series, and two posts with literacy and reading links that I shared on Twitter recently.I also have one post with a new Literacy Milestone for my daughter, and a post about books that I have liked enough to pass on to my husband. Not included in the newsletter, I shared some links related to Read Across America Day.

Reading Update: In the last two weeks I completed one middle grade, one young adult, and two adult titles. I read/listened to:

D. J. MacHale:Strike (SYLO Trilogy, Book 3). Razorbill. Young Adult Fiction. Completed February 22, 2015. While I quite liked the ending of this book, and the wrapping up of the questions posed through the trilogy, I found this title a bit didactic for my personal taste.

D. E. Stevenson:Listening Valley. Sourcebooks Landmark. Adult Fiction. Completed March 3, 2015, on MP3. This was my first audio read of what I do believe is my all-time favorite book. Needless to say, I enjoyed it immensely.

My daughter recently finished listening to a chapter book that I had been looking forward to reading with her: Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (illustrated by Marla Frazee). She actually liked Clementine so much that after I had read her the first 2-3 chapters one night, she asked her babysitter to read to her from the book the next day. After a marathon 45 minute session, and she came running into my office, full of excitement. "Mommy, I readed the whole chapter book of Clementine."

I must confess to having been a tiny bit disappointed not to have been able to read the rest of the book to her myself. But I know that the important thing was that she was able to spend time listening to a book that she was excited about, even though I was busy working. And luckily for both of us, there are six other books in the series (and in a happy coincidence, the 7th book, Completely Clementine landed on our doorstep just this week). I put my foot down, however, and told her that she really should listen to the books in order, otherwise there would be surprises ruined.

What are you and your family reading these days? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms.

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